Observation/Reflection #2: Eyes in the Back of Your Head: Observing Student Actions
From a seat in the rear of the room, observe your students and take notes on what they are doing while the teacher is presenting in the front of the room, while they are supposed to be doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher. What strategies are used by your teacher to encourage students to attend and engage?
How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement?
Observations:
The context of my observation #2 is as follows. The CT started this class of 8th graders by welcoming them back from an extended break from regular class due to NECAP testing.He reminded them that when he last saw them 1 ½ weeks ago they were learning how to develop their skimming & scanning skills in order to better create outlines of their textbook readings.He informed them that since it has been a while since they have practiced this skill he was going to do a review.He proceeded to model that skill by reading from the textbook and writing on the board the correct way of outlining information gleaned from a textbook. I observed the students as he modeled, and I noticed various activities.
vSome listening and then copying furiously exactly as modeled. vSome listening and with prompts from neighbors began writing in their notebooks. vSome, somewhat distracted , listened and wrote sporadically into their notebooks.
Suddenly, the CT stopped his modeling (which required him reading text and writing on the whiteboard) and walked over to the far end of the classroom to a lab desk where 4 students sat.He asked one male student to “get up and take your stuff, follow me.”The student started to protest, but the CT interrupted and said, “You know better J---, you know the rules.”The student stopped the protestations and followed the teacher to the front of class and seated himself at a lab desk adjacent to the teacher’s desk.He was alone at that desk, a mere 3 feet away from where the CT restarted his instruction. Every few minutes The CT would randomly call out a student’s name and ask a probing question concerning the lesson.After completing a section the CT asked the class to go ahead and finish by outlining themselves the final portion of that chapter selection, and that both he and I would help students with specific questions.He then explained to them that they were to finish the section outline and answer the three questions at the end of the section, and that their outlines would be very helpful in finding the answers. He also said, “By the way, I expect to see a completed outline and questions answered at the beginning of class tomorrow, so if you don’t finish today, you now know your homework.”
Reflections:
When asked after class to explain his actions, the CT informed that J--- was seen holding hands with the girl sitting nearby, and that was against the school rules and suffered the consequences.He does not randomly call out names of people to gauge understanding; instead he looks for expressions of confusion or signs of distraction, which are more often at the extremes of the classroom.I admire his ability to both press with the lesson as well as monitor his audience at the same time.It is a skill that must be practiced by a beginning teacher in order to develop. As the students were working independently, and we were circulating around the class, I noticed two behaviors from my CT. oHe was always at the opposite end of the class form me. oHe constantly was addressing extracurricular activities at students who were not seated at the table he was presently attending to. I surmise that these two behaviors help a teacher more closely monitor independent student work and eliminate the blinders that teachers sometimes have when addressing a single student.A teacher must constantly keep his eyes and ears open for signs of distraction.
Class Topic: Eyes in the Back of Your Head: Observing Student Actions
Grade: 8
Observed by: Lionel Tessier
Observation/Reflection #2: Eyes in the Back of Your Head: Observing Student Actions
From a seat in the rear of the room, observe your students and take notes on what they are doing while the teacher is presenting in the front of the room, while they are supposed to be doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher. What strategies are used by your teacher to encourage students to attend and engage?How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement?
Observations:
The context of my observation #2 is as follows.The CT started this class of 8th graders by welcoming them back from an extended break from regular class due to NECAP testing. He reminded them that when he last saw them 1 ½ weeks ago they were learning how to develop their skimming & scanning skills in order to better create outlines of their textbook readings. He informed them that since it has been a while since they have practiced this skill he was going to do a review. He proceeded to model that skill by reading from the textbook and writing on the board the correct way of outlining information gleaned from a textbook.
I observed the students as he modeled, and I noticed various activities.
v Some listening and then copying furiously exactly as modeled.
v Some listening and with prompts from neighbors began writing in their notebooks.
v Some, somewhat distracted , listened and wrote sporadically into their notebooks.
Suddenly, the CT stopped his modeling (which required him reading text and writing on the whiteboard) and walked over to the far end of the classroom to a lab desk where 4 students sat. He asked one male student to “get up and take your stuff, follow me.” The student started to protest, but the CT interrupted and said, “You know better J---, you know the rules.” The student stopped the protestations and followed the teacher to the front of class and seated himself at a lab desk adjacent to the teacher’s desk. He was alone at that desk, a mere 3 feet away from where the CT restarted his instruction.
Every few minutes The CT would randomly call out a student’s name and ask a probing question concerning the lesson. After completing a section the CT asked the class to go ahead and finish by outlining themselves the final portion of that chapter selection, and that both he and I would help students with specific questions. He then explained to them that they were to finish the section outline and answer the three questions at the end of the section, and that their outlines would be very helpful in finding the answers. He also said, “By the way, I expect to see a completed outline and questions answered at the beginning of class tomorrow, so if you don’t finish today, you now know your homework.”
Reflections:
When asked after class to explain his actions, the CT informed that J--- was seen holding hands with the girl sitting nearby, and that was against the school rules and suffered the consequences. He does not randomly call out names of people to gauge understanding; instead he looks for expressions of confusion or signs of distraction, which are more often at the extremes of the classroom. I admire his ability to both press with the lesson as well as monitor his audience at the same time. It is a skill that must be practiced by a beginning teacher in order to develop.As the students were working independently, and we were circulating around the class, I noticed two behaviors from my CT.
o He was always at the opposite end of the class form me.
o He constantly was addressing extracurricular activities at students who were not seated at the table he was presently attending to.
I surmise that these two behaviors help a teacher more closely monitor independent student work and eliminate the blinders that teachers sometimes have when addressing a single student. A teacher must constantly keep his eyes and ears open for signs of distraction.
Class Topic: Eyes in the Back of Your Head: Observing Student Actions
Grade: 8
Observed by: Lionel Tessier